Obstetrics Simulators as the Teaching Tools for Medical Undergraduates

Abstract

The use of simulation-based learning has been widely adopted in medical undergraduate training. This article aims to review the effectiveness and feasibility of obstetric simulators which are suitable for undergraduate teaching. For teaching procedural skills on episiorrhaphy, the sponge model is as effective as the beef tongue model but is more feasible. The commercial episiorrhaphy model is less suitable due to their high cost and high maintenance. The simple birthing pelvis is as effective as the full body obstetrics manikin in teaching simple vaginal birth. The use of cervical dilatation simulators and pregnant abdomen simulators still lacks evidence to support their effectiveness and their use may be limited only to the medical schools where clinical contact with the pregnant patients is restricted. Apart from considering the cost – effectiveness of each simulator, each medical school must also choose the simulators that suit the learning objectives and the needs of their context individually.

Keywords: Simulation, simulator, obstetric education, medical education